The Greatest Mind Of The Century
by mywildcharmsforyou
Summary: Bella's little group of students of the Dark arts being abrogated, she finds herself getting drawn into a dark underworld by their newest former member, the mysterious perfect girl, Thisbe. The story of how Bella found herself to be a servant of The Dark Lord, the edge from sanity to insanity drawing ever closer. ON HIATUS


**The Greatest Mind of the Cen** **tury**

 **Prologue: Power and Virtue**

 **A/N: TW regarding depression, obsessiveness and self-abuse**

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 **Part 1: Soul Embodiment**

 _I loved him and I didn't want to see what other people saw in his eyes. Lies._

 _I still love him and he is the only thing worth living for. Lies._

 _He offered me all and gave enough._

 _They say that love makes you blind; I can see right through and I love what visions come to me. I never would've guessed that my life would turn out so rich, so beautiful, everything my soul represented. It was all meant to be, meant to fulfil, and I'm meant to fulfil my destiny in achieving a great mind, a mind to match my waking nightmares. They thought I was staggering, destroyed by madness, grabbing onto pieces of broken glass and splintered wood, aging in the light of the loss, the corruption, a soul embodiment of the Lover, the Mind, the Lord. I was passing through the centuries with dark cool eyes, down to earth, skimming the phrases down to effect and cause. I was an outcast in the underworld; I had a beacon of hope. I am raised to shimmering lights in porcelain balls, my skirts billowing in my dance on the music of some kind of truth. Going from China dinners to China towns to China dinners. I didn't bare my brain to them, I ate salt and fire for breakfast, punished myself in the way of addictions; I was a good person. It was wish-fulfilments._

 _I will charge them all in His shadows. I will never wait for the day's done, the sun. I was tired of making decisions without thinking, thinking about me. But now I think happily only about him. I'm standing so close, how can I ever back down? I wished this to be my serving time, rightfully mine in divine ways. Attaching myself to my dreams, my destiny, my wishes, doesn't seem bad to me. Never anymore. I don't quite fit the part of she who loses everything and falls into insanity. He got a huge strength to muster. I got only Him. His danger, his finishes, topped off, dangling stars, all in one glance. In black satin I meet you, but barefooted I need you. I'm indebted by you; I'm bereaved by you; I'm carried by you._

 _Do you know I never ate for you? I never put weight on your shoulders, never second-guessed, and never doubted when you jumped. January-to-January, acid-to-acid, bottles on bottles; I'm always lightning Power and Virtue._

 _Not a day will pass me by when my knees are not bleeding._

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 **Part 2: Reliable Developments of The Dark Spots  
** February 1968,

The wind was blowing hard in her face, the snowflakes remaining in her eyebrows and hair, as she stood like a statue by the frozen lake. In the past six winters she already spent in the castle, she never experienced one as cold as this year. It _was_ a comfort, that she could at least say that she had to complete her seven years in a few months, before she was married off to some rich bloke who would only see her at night, hanging over her and panting as he took her body like he desired. It was bittersweet, finishing an education, which so many girls in her status didn't, but having no use for it.

She wanted her dreams to come true, her passions taking lively shape in front of her eyes, a whole wide world created by the tips of her fingers.

She didn't even feel the cold anymore; it was too late.

She remembered her first year, an escape from the terror of home, taking shape in the candle-lit castle, looming mountains and green scarves. She had been eager to learn, eager to live, even eager to love; it had all turned to ashes in her mouth as the years passed and she realized, that they're was no real escape from home, there was no escape from the cruel path that was smoothly set out for her.

She made friends, she learned Dark Arts, she used pleasure, all to release the looming shadow of home.

Every summer, dragged hair, darker lipstick, stiffer and paler, silence and abuse. And the rest of the year wasting away on the verge of losing control, losing composure, losing face, losing life.

She closed her eyes, now; she had to go inside if she wanted to continue living. She could also make a hole in the frozen surface of the lake and drown herself. How much pain would that spare, on her behalf and others? How much suffering, on her hands and on the ones around her?

She wasn't a nice person; she was going to hurt everybody in the end, herself the most.

She let her minds wander to vulgar thoughts, killing and fucking, starving and dying. She swayed on the rhythm inside that told her it was _good_ to be like this. Not innocent, but too much. But when she opened her eyes again, she was still on the same cold spot, soaked from melted snow, shaking from the cold.

She hesitated.

She wondered if her Mother would blink away tears, if Narcissa would take her place, if her Father would go excessive with the ceremony, only being a tad bit nervous for appearances. She wondered if her fiancé would get drunk for losing his catch.

A single tear left her eye, surprisingly warm against her cold skin. She wiped it away quickly with her almost frozen hand, even though nobody was around in this weather.

She turned resolutely and slowly walked her way back to the castle, careful not to slip on frozen ice hiding under a layer of powdery snow.

Even death couldn't change her destiny, because it was death in the core itself.

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Evan was stuffing his mouth with sausage and beans, taking slurps of pumpkin-juice between the overwhelmingly large bites he took of his fork. She couldn't say this was the reason she barely ate, but if she said it was, some people would definitely consider believing her.

She was staring, resting her chin on her hand, to the group of people which she called friends, but were rather a strange assortment of different types of people with only one common interest; books. Specifically, restricted books about even more taboo subjects. It was the only thing she liked, talking about death and violence over tea and biscuits, laughing while they read aloud absurd passages, trying them later out on animals they captured.

They've done so for the last three years, but this year was different; they all knew their life was going to change after exams, and that they couldn't keep up fucking around. They already stopped meeting and testing frequently, the things they confined their eyes to now, were too dark to read aloud, or test on animals. They just passed the books back and forth, making notes beside the lines, sometimes smiling at each other knowingly, because they knew.

They were infamous and bright, known to the whole school, but never talked to.

They were an elite, a gang, and a group of misfits who found each other in the midst of hysterical, screaming, raging, silence and time.

There wasn't anyone who could say they even were acquainted with one of them, they were a mystery too scary to unravel, a blind spot, an irremovable stain on the image of the school.

It would be no surprise if their existence came out to be one big joke, an sick illusion created by the school's eyes.

Severus, Wilkes, Evans, Rodolphus and Rabastan, Avery, Mulcibur, Lucius, and herself, Bellatrix.

They were like black spots on a photo which development went wrong, too dark to be illuminated by stars. Hiding from the burning sun, their skin even paler against their dark eyes. Pure blooded, but sick-minded. Superior.

She took a small sip from her juice and Rabastan gave her an encouraging small smile. Her shoulders relaxed and she gave him a small smile in return.

Wilkes dropped casually on the bench next to her and rubbed his eyes, "Fuck, I couldn't sleep at all."

Severus looked up at the swearing and shook his head, diving back into a book, which she was sure made some people faint the moment they realized the meaning of its content, his long black hair clouding his strict face.

She saw Rabastan and Rodolphus, close brothers, laughing together over something Rodolphus whispered in Rabastan's ear.

She could see Mulciber studying his potions textbook with vigorous attention, obviously dreading a not expected pop-quiz.

Noting Lucius gathering his long blond hair in a small ponytail at the back of his neck.

"Reliable." She thought. Same song, all day long, every day, but she was content. These guys were reliable.

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Later that evening, she had her dorm room for herself, the other Slytherin girls downstairs studying. She never understood that people went studying _there_ , the busiest and loudest spot available. She rather spends her evening here, with her tiny white snake Verne in her lap, and a book in her hands.

She didn't read only books about the Dark Arts; she could enjoy poetry and novels too, at the right time. Reading had always been a way of escaping for her, before she even went to Hogwarts, and her love was still as strong as ever for the smell of the ink on parchment, the feel of bounded leather in her hands, and the impact of words that she would never be able to phantom; her being raised up by the impact of violence instead.

She remembered seeing her mother setting her books on fire in the garden, along with a tomato plant, which had been her passion for three weeks. She cried for three days, having nothing to do anymore. _Eager to learn_. Her father had hit her after her days of grieve, because she 'annoyed' him and he didn't accept her bland 'weakness'. Narcissa, the perfect daughter, had put her nose in the air and had said in a haughty voice, "You should realize what's good for you and what destroys you." and had then walked away swaying her hips like the queen Bella herself would never be, never would wish to be.

She was not blind, she saw the way she eyed Lucius, and how Lucius eyed her too, Narcissa would forever and always get what she wanted, and this was no exception.

She took Verne in her hands and played with her a little, cooing over the only animal she cared for, giving it a small kiss and putting her carefully back in her terrarium. She read five more pages and then she took a long, hot shower.

When she returned, Alicia, a girl she shared her dorm with, was changing into her pyjamas and gave her a shy smile. She returned the smile with one of her cold, heartless ones.

"Are you going to bed?" Alicia asked politely.

She thought how to answer, this was one of the rare times she actually talked with the girl, let alone the other girls she shared this small dorm with, and finally said, "Yes, I'm going to bed, would you please be kind to be quiet, I'm rather tired."

The girl seemed surprised by her politeness and she wondered if she was daft; she was Bellatrix Black, sacred pureblood elite, she was _meant_ to pretend.

The girl nodded eventually and exited the dorm and Bella climbed in bed and closed her eyes. She let rest fall over her and let release cloud her mind when she took in a good night's sleep potion, which was resolved in her water glass on her nightstand.

That night was satisfyingly dreamless and cold in her memory.

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 **Part 3: Acknowledgements  
** February 1968,

The next day she woke up early, the sun had not risen yet and the moonlight illuminated the dorm. She swayed her legs over the edge of her bed and sat up straight, her naked feet touching the cold, wooden floor, a sensation unfamiliar after a night of warmth and the touch of soft linen.

She grabbed her wand from the nightstand and got up slowly, still a bit drowsy and asleep, making her way to the bathroom, casting a silence charm and turning on the faucet of the shower. She let the hot water beat down on her dark curls and slim figure, turning her skin rosy and sensitive, for a few minutes, her eyes closed.

She then turned the faucet off, charmed her body and hair dry, summoned clean garments and her uniform and got dressed for the day.

Within ten minutes she was ready, and got out of the bathroom, feeding Verne and got out of the dorm, her bag hanging off her shoulder, a black jumper knotted about her waist.

She was strangely excited for the day, as if a fresh energy had come over her tonight and awakened and strengthened her body and soul.

She went down the stairs of the Common Room and made her way out of the dungeons to The Great Hall for an early breakfast. When she checked the time with her wand, she saw that it was only 6 a.m., realizing that her first class was not until 9 a.m. She had three hours to do what she wanted, actually smiling at that thought.

She slowly ate her breakfast, which consisted of bacon, oatmeal and a strong cup of coffee, while reading the novel she read last night. After half an hour, she left for the library, deciding to spend the morning reading in comfortable chairs, listening to the silence.

The castle was still asleep when she walked towards the other side of the school, a calm before the storm of breakfast hour.

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She had spent the last hour reading attentively in her novel, her legs dangling over the rug of an old ratty chair, when a sound caught her attention. She looked up and she saw a small girl, with straight long black hair, reaching for a book, which was high stacked up above her.

Bella didn't know why the girl caught her attention for longer than a second, but she certainly was interested in this girl, of whom she was quite sure she didn't know of.

The girl had been able to grab the book with a jump in the air and walked over to the chair across of her. Her face was not pale, but a rich brown, she was slim built and had an overall pretty face. The girl looked up and saw her staring, she smiled and Bella smiled back, a genuine smile for a change. There was something of mischief and wisdom in these girl's eyes, something that reminded Bella of her self.

The girl had looked up from her book again, leaned a bit forward, and asked in a pleasant, soft hazy voice, "What are you reading?"

She didn't know why she was honest, she didn't know the girl or her dangers, but she replied, "Something that is not deemed available at your local bookstore." a small smile playing around her mouth's corners and the girl laughing a sweet giggle.

Unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked, "I never saw you before, how come that?"

The girl seemed to think for a moment, looking very serious all of the sudden. "I have only spent here my first year; I have been sick for a long time and I have been home-schooled, I have returned after the Christmas holiday."

Bella was surprised at her answer; she looked very healthy, maybe a bit thin, but she herself was also thin.

"What's your name?" the girl asked when she got no reply from her previous answer.

"I'm Bellatrix Black." the pride was unmistakeable in her own voice, drawing power from that proud, sitting a bit straighter.

The girl seemed to recognize her name and then said, "I'm a pureblood too. My name is Thisbe Burke." There wasn't any pride or power in her voice or change in her composure; apparently, it was just a name for her.

But from that moment on, Bella knew that she wanted to get to know Thisbe Burke better.

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The rest of the day swam by, barely holding her attention. No response worth for teachers, no weird glances thrown at her by the students, as if the entire world had decided to finally leave her alone, alone to her thoughts. Concealment rarely met, covering up her worst fate, had crossed paths with her today. Finally able to lurk in the shadows, she focused her gaze on Thisbe, who was easily missed in the masses of, the extraordinary nature of this school.

She was an in-secret pretty girl, a treasure yet to be discovered. It caught her attention that she had no friends, and still mixed up with the rest of her house, Ravenclaw, as if people were so used to her, not talking to her, not looking at her, but in a strange way still acknowledging her, as if she was a ghost among the others of this school; a misfit, but not absurd. Not like they were to be disgusting _freaks_.

She was alive, not like they were living like skeletons, feeding themselves with books and Dark Arts. You could not say she was pure, you could not say she was on anybody's right side, but she could easily be loved by the masses on the moment she would decide to reveal herself, a thing Bella could not say of herself. It was as if Bella was cursed condemned, always hated, always strange, whatever path she choose.

Not that she had a choice, her thoughts involuntarily drifting to Rodolphus, the one she was to be married to.

Thisbe was winning and she wasn't even fighting, while Bella loved a losing game.

It was a useless call to have some sense of purpose again, to no avail.

At eight pm, released from torturous thoughts and even more dreadful homework assignments, she made her way further down the dungeons, to an abandoned classroom the boys and she used for their meetings. She was running late, her hurried steps echoing across the dark stonewall. She took another flight of steps, the ground only lighted by torches. Being careful not to trip, she barely touched the ground as she was hurrying on, her hair flying in her speed's wind behind her.

She had reached the classroom, in the past used for potion's class, when the four houses still took classes separately, and the number of students was bigger. She pushed open the creaking door, coming through she quickly counted and came to the conclusion that the rest was already gathered, but she didn't notice Thisbe in the shadow.

Wilkes and Avery were bowing over parchment and arguing about something. Severus looked at them in disdain.

She pushed the door close behind her, Rodolphus took notice of her and gave her a smile, and she smiled back, walking forward to stand beside him.

Lucius scraped his throat at the notice of her arrivel and said in a haughty tone to caught everybody's attention, "I called you together this evening", Wilkes and Avery stopped talking and threw each other a last mean glance, Bella rolled her eyes at Lucius, "because a new member has joined our little, err, group."

She raised her eyebrows at the same time Thisbe stepped from the shadows. She hoped she had hid her shock well, but couldn't stop her feeling of assault that this girl provoked.

Evan stepped forward and shook her hand, "Welcome, my name is Evan Rosier." Thisbe bowed her head in acknowledgement, then turned to the group, bowed again, and then said, "Thank you Lucius and Evan. I'm Thisbe Burke."

Rabastan appeared to hold her already in respect, from the way his eyes behold her, and introduced himself.

Severus remained sulking behind his hair, but they exchanged nods in familiar fashion, as if they knew each other from a past history.

Avery and Mulciber had already forgotten their quick row and introduced themselves and shook hands with her.

Then suddenly she had arrived at Rodolphus and herself. She couldn't help notice how Rodolphus looked at the girl, and she felt a wholly unexpected pang of jealousy.

And then the girl stood before her, gave her a bright smile she didn't know how to react to, and said in her defining voice, "Nice to see you again."

Bella gave her a small uneasy smile and nodded, before averting her attention from this girl and prompted the group, "So, now that we've exchanged necessities, let's go back to business." Bella hoped that the rudeness and rejection in her voice didn't go wholly amiss and had reached the targets, Thisbe and Rodolphus.

Everybody got books, ink and parchment from their bags and started with discussing, sharing and exchanging, Bella carefully ignoring Rodolphus' prodding and curious looks, which he couldn't and wanted to hide at seeing how Bella reacted to Thisbe. "He should mind his own business.' She thought with disdain.

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 **A/N: Hi guys! This is a new fic I've started and a bit of an experiment; I don't know what direction this story is going and it's different than what I usually write, this fic is even more darker. I'm going to try updating every two weeks, but I've also got Reaching For The Beatific (dramione) running, so I still have to fit it in. Every chapter will be updated in bits, so this is only part 1 of the prologue, and every part will be around 3K-4K.**

 **Regarding Grammar faults: English is my second language and I'm in desperate need of an Beta, dm or review me if interested!**

 **Regarding Reviews: Reviews are the sole thing why writers want to continue with a fic on this site, me including, so please leave behind a review. It doesn't have to be long, it can be a short; 'hey, I liked this.' and I'll already cry out in happiness (yes, I'm aware...).**


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